Saturday night best chance to catch falling stars

Staff report

Those hoping to catch a glimpse of falling stars this weekend may have the best luck Saturday night.

The Perseid meteor shower peaks Saturday through Monday. While Chicagoans are plagued with some of the worst light pollution in the country (think orange streetlights), some far-flung suburbs and the shores of Lake Michigan can be decent places to see the annual sky show.

NASA says the Perseids produce the most fireballs of any yearly meteor shower.

The skies should mostly be clear Saturday night, but cloud cover and chances of rain are in the forecast for both Sunday and Monday nights, according to the National Weather Service. There’s just a sliver of the moon in the night sky now, setting before midnight.

The meteors appear to shoot from the vicinity of the Perseus constellation, but they should be visible in many parts of the sky, with as many as 60 an hour during their Sunday peak, according to the Adler Planetarium.

The shower is from debris in the wake of Comet Swift-Tuttle, which last passed the Earth in 1992 on a 133-year orbit around the Sun.

Here are several places in the Chicago area to catch a glimpse of the Perseids:

• The Adler Planetarium is holding a Perseid event Monday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Cantigny Park in Wheaton.

• The Chicago Park District is extending beach hours at the Montrose and 12th Street beaches until midnight Saturday and Sunday, and Evanston is doing the same at its Lighthouse Beach.

• The Vera Meineke Nature Center in Schaumburg is holding a viewing party Saturday night.